Thierry Le Portier

31-year-old Vera is a vet in a small-town zoo veterinarian in Transylvania. After losing her new-born baby, she becomes obsessed with giving him the proper Eastern Orthodox burial rituals, spends more time at work and subsequently drifts apart from her husband, Toma. One day a tiger escapes from the zoo…

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Thierry drops out of school to apprentice as a lion tamer at the zoo where he meets Roselyne, who shares his passion. They fall in love and when he loses his job, the young lovers journey across France finding odd jobs at several circuses. In Germany, they fall under the tutelage of ageing big cat trainer, Klint, and while they are closer to realising their dreams, they find that their success drivers them part.